With the Royal Assent of Bill C-11, The Copyright Modernization Act, Canada joins a long list of countries that recognize the importance of protecting intellectual property in the digital environment.

“We never doubted that we would see this day but it has been a long road, in particular for creators, whose livelihoods have been deeply eroded by piracy. We commend the government and Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore in particular, for their tenacity in pursuing a modern copyright framework and legislation that will enable Canada to ratify the World Intellectual Property Organization Internet Treaties,” says Graham Henderson, President of Music Canada. “Utilizing the tools provided by this legislation, in conjunction with our efforts to ensure consumers have various legal digital services to choose from in Canada, we will now turn our attention to rebuilding the marketplace for recorded music.”

An economic impact study on the recording industry in Canada, recently prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and published by Music Canada, demonstrates that while digital sales of recorded music have grown in the past five years, they have not offset the drop in total sales. Despite the contraction though, the study points out that the recording industry remains an important economic generator for Canada.

“Major and independent music companies, not to mention the broader music community, support thousands of high-paying jobs across Canada and represent one of Canada’s most successful exports, making copyright protection a good investment for Canadians,” says Henderson.

Graham Henderson testified before the Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce on June 26, 2012 regarding Bill C-11, and previously testified before the legislative committee reviewing Bill C-32 along with artists Loreena McKennitt and Maia Davies and representatives of the Canadian Independent Music Association and the Canadian Council of Music Industry Associations.

Music Canada is a non-profit trade organization that represents the major music companies in Canada, namely EMI Music Canada, Sony Music Entertainment Canada, Universal Music Canada and Warner Music Canada. Music Canada also provides membership benefits to some of the leading independent record labels and distributors. Its members are engaged in all aspects of the recording industry, including the manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music.